It was quite early to go shopping, but members of the Brea Kiwanis, Placentia Kiwanis, Soroptimist of Brea/La Habra plus Key Club high schoolers and Circle K college students met at 7 a.m. on a recent Saturday morning at JC Penney in Brea Mall.

The reason?

To shop for school clothes and shoes for 89 children from Brea, Placentia and La Habra.

This annual 7 to 10 a.m. event was started 12 years ago by the Brea Kiwanis, according to the event’s chair, Taylor Curtius. Penney’s lower level children’s department opened early for the Kiwanis shopping event and was staffed by Penney employees who donated their time and then worked their normal Saturday shift. Plus, nearly everything in the kids’ departments was on sale and further discounted.

The kids come with their parents, but only the child and a volunteer shopper go inside the store with the child’s list of sizes and needs and a budget of $100 to spend.

Parents and everyone else wait outside the doors in the parking structure. Because there were so many volunteer shoppers this year, I only got to shop with one girl, a 4th grader at Walnut Elementary School in La Habra.

Together we picked out outfits for her, plus cool tennies, socks and a sweater too. The total came to $138, but was discounted it to $100. Thanks, JCP.

As each child exited the store with their bags of new clothing in hand, all the parents and volunteers applauded and cheered.

The kids beamed like they swallowed a moonbeam. It was awesome.

Both Kiwanis clubs and Soroptimist of Brea/La Habra collected donations from club members, friends and family to fund their students, which included 52 from Brea, 19 from La Habra and 18 from Placentia. It was a rewarding experience for the students, their parents and all of us volunteers.

Speaking of volunteers, have you volunteered to help a political candidate this year? If you haven’t, maybe it is because you don’t know enough about each candidate for Brea’s City Council and school board.

Are their beefs your beefs? What are your greatest concerns about Brea? Is it traffic, the hundreds of new apartments starting to grace our city, or are you most concerned about how the reduction in city sales tax revenue will affect city services? Personally, all are concerns of mine.

Good ways to learn more about the candidates and what they stand for is to attend the upcoming candidates forums.

The City Council candidates forum is at 6 p.m. on Oct. 4 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall and is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of North Orange County. It will be televised and replayed on the city’s website and on the Brea Chamber YouTube Channel. If you have questions for any of the candidates you must submit them at the forum. No emailing or texting questions.

Oct. 18, at 6 p.m., the League will present the school board candidates forum in the City Council Chambers. Unfortunately, it will not be televised, so plan to attend and get informed.

Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at daxoncomm@earthlink.net.